Hot take on the offense

Whatever makes the coaches realize that running Haskins into a stacked line on first down every damn time is not effective. 

Second and 9 is no way to go through life.

I think in general better to have Corum-  However, Corum choked mightily in the M State game:

1)  Dropped short potential touchdown pass

2) Fumbled on key drive at 50 yard line

3)  Ran directly into defenders-  seemed off on making cuts.

Nah, having both RBs available to get hit in the backfield on half the run plays is better than just Haskins having to take contact and shed an immediate defender.

I kind of agree. Haskins is punishing. By the end of the game, no one wants a part of him. I'm hoping for a 35 carry, 200 yard game against the Great Evil, leading us to victory.

Need a change of pace back in a run heavy offense. I like 60/40 split.  Both are play makers that bring alot to the table.

 I think Harbaugh has done a tremendous job at getting young talented players playing time. The Transfer portal has taking college football by storm. Corum would start on 98% of teams in America. Corum deserves to be out there 

There are only two games left.  Let Haskins eat. 

Then let him soak in ice for a month.

This is an interesting take and one that I had not considered.  Missing Corum hurts period.  He is an absolute stud that can score at any moment.  One positive is that Edwards is going to get a lot more time with first team for the next couple of weeks which I imagine was not happening pre Corum injury.  This gives us plenty of time to get Edwards lots of reps before we play The Game.  I have a feeling Edwards is going to need to get some additional snaps that game. Go Blue!  Please let this be the year we win The Game!

I'm not sure if we should call him H2 or Superman?  As great as he is we need to rest him.  We can't afford for him to get nicked up. 

Hopefully, Edwards can carry some of the load against Maryland.  Edwards has not looked good yet.  Maryland would be a great coming out party. 

I would like to see Eric All sit out Maryland to get that ankle closer to 100 percent for OSU.  The wheels he showed us Saturday were impressive on a bad ankle.        

Nothing wrong with playing 2 RBs especially since neither have had TO problems. I prefer playing the one RB giving them 20-30 carries but getting Corum back before ohio state would be much better in case haskins gets injured

Corum is a good running back.  We collectively fell in love with him as he made the worst teams on our schedule look silly.  He's come down to earth a little bit which is to be expected.  He simply doesn't have the size to be an every down back and it would be criminal for Haskins to give up 10-15 carries to him in The Game. 

Corum looked completely overwhelmed against Michigan State.  We can't have that next Saturday. Haskins is ready for that moment. I'm not so sure Corum is. 

The diversity and lightning strike capability that Corum brings to the backfield make it better with him in it.

I'm with you in loving seeing Haskins take in the bell cow role and do really well in it, but the chance for an instant score is worth a lot when Corum is healthy.

Not only am I in the camp of "both is better," but I'd also be interested to see what effect a split back formation has on our offense. I agree that having 2 unique RBs makes it difficult for defenses to adjust, but it'd likely be even more difficult to adjust if they're both on the field at the same time and you don't know which unique skillset is about to be utilized. Split backs means you have options to run the play left, right, or up the gut, and potentially have 2 blocking RBs on a designed throw. Throw in a couple RPOs with a mobile QB and you've added quite a bit of homework for a opposing DCs.

No.

Corum would have taken a few of those runs much farther than Haskins did.  The 17 yarder that went wide left of the OT would have been a Corum Special - he would have outran everybody that managed to touch Hassan.  Does he get to the EZ?  I dunno, I don't know where the deep safety was, might have been able to angle him out of bounds.  The big screen pass also, Corum would have run by the defense before they knew he had the ball.

Corum has earned his snaps every bit as well as HH has, and they both should get equal playing time.  Haskins is a steady, consistent back that will get his yards.  Corum is a playmaker - he's usually good for his yards, but also has the ability to enter the house on any given play (which Haskins does not).  Even if Corum is having a bad game (ie: MSU), he needs to get the ball consistently because of that playmaking ability.

I wonder what Haskins draft stock is. With the COVID year he does have another year of eligibility and that would play an interesting dynamic if he were to come back. No way Harbaugh says good luck elsewhere but I’m sure Edwards doesn’t want to be third back for a second year. 

I can feel what you are saying and having Haskins be the bell cow feels very Lloyd Carr era-ish and makes for a good punishing offense in the 4th quarter…..however, I would feel much better about beating OSU with Corum as another option out there for a home run play.

Buuuuttttt, maybe this is setting up for Haskins to have a Tim Biakabatuka type of day vs. OSU where he runs for like 10 ypc with our Oline executing power schemes at a high level! Which would be amazing, and I can also see the receivers coming along more and more as home run guys.

so in short, I like our offense either way, but Corum in my opinion can only add versatility and explosiveness as long as he catches the ball on a wheel route lol. 

TLDR: Harbaugh is smart but trades short term benefits for long term benefits too often, letting opposition back into the game too often, losing the close ones against good teams.

Your question is first cousin as to Harbaugh's biggest weakness:

His lack of a Killer Instinct. He doesn't know when to stop playing the numbers, stop following a brilliant strategy in order to pursue aggressive tactics to put the other team away.

Harbaugh is a genius when it comes to strategy. No doubt. Juggling 2 RBs as juggling 2 QBs within a game in which Michigan is starting to take control makes for more options later in the season or when injury shows up.

But it comes at the expense of the control of that game. It lets the other team linger, rather than getting more aggressive (with greater risks) to knock them out.

It's why Harbaugh is consistently inconsistent with the good teams. He lets them off the hook thinking about the long term.

Don't get me wrong: I like Harbaugh a lot. He's smart. And knows how to gameplan, coach, recruit, hire, fire, connections to the NFL, sincere love of The Program. Better coach than anyone available by far. His win percentage is outstanding.

But sometimes he lets his smart get in the way of a stiff uppercut to the jaw when the opponent is on the ropes.

It's a win-win for the offense if whether Corum returns or not. I wouldn't expect him to be 100% so his carries should be limited. He might do better as a slot receiver or a swing pass option. Maybe include him a jet sweep play as well.

Two different approaches occur when their depth chart is limited.

I would say that, considering most of the second half success running the ball came outside the tackles with the back waiting for linemen to get to the edge and create a seal, Corum (at 100% health, of course) probably is as successful--or even moreso--given his ability to turn said corner and hit the home run.

Haskins is a November back.

Corum is a September back.

Championships are won in November.

Haskins is the best back we've had since Hart. Corum is out. Fucking deal with it...our coaches will

I'd rather have Haskins over Walker. In recent memory, I haven't seen a runner like Haskins that cannot be brought down, and his yards after contact has to be the best in recent memory.   His only knock is his top gear which isn't good... the best comparison I have seen is Matt Forte.  Forte had the higher gear but Haskins was equally as tough and hard to take down, the latter maybe moreso.  Exceptional balance, if thats what you want to call it.   Had Corum been out for the season, Haskins would be a Heisman contender.

We already have a tradition of going into the OSU game with a broken QB. Giving Haskins 30 carries per game is a good way to break the RB too. I don't want to see him getting carries in a multi-score game situation.

Tonight at 11, we investigate: "Is Michigan's offense better with only 1 of its top 2 playmakers?"

Fuegobox gonna have to come up with a "Pure Capsaicin" flavor to keep up with this nuclear level take right here.

Are you Listining Ron?? 

No

2 is good.  4 is too much

Here’s another way to frame the question: do we have a better chance of scoring enough points to beat OSU with or without Corum? Think the answer is very clearly with Corum. Haskins can win us a game like this when offenses on both sides aren’t lighting the world on fire. We will need Corum to break some big plays to even hope to keep up with OSU’s scoring

No.

They have a great rhythm.

I can find other issues with the offense, but it's not playing 2 RBs.

And how is it better? We had 40 yards rushing in the first half and a long of like 18 on the day.

We only scored 17 points.

How in the world is any of this an indicator of a better offense?

I like having both options - thunder and lightning - much harder for D to prepare for. They must take more time with D subs to be ready for who is on the field.

That said, as long as HH is healthy and Cade it hitting the receivers and the D is getting to the QB, we can win.